


Meet Me Halfway To Your Heart

by EvensDramaticShenanigans



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Beaches, F/F, Given It All au, Hayley Kiyoko Challenge, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 17:27:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13908783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvensDramaticShenanigans/pseuds/EvensDramaticShenanigans
Summary: “Eva, why did you really bring me here this weekend?” Noora suddenly asked. The question was firm, like she was warning Eva against trying to bullshit an answer, but it wasn't accusatory.Eva stared out at the ocean a little bit longer, watching the waves methodically crash against the sharp edges of the rock below. When she finally opened her mouth to answer, she lifted her gaze to Noora. She was already looking back.





	Meet Me Halfway To Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> The day has finally come to post the Hayley Kiyoko fic!!  
> tbh I wasn't, but I wasn't sure if I was even going to be able to finish it, but I have and I'm so so happy about that! 
> 
> Thank you to the love of my life, [Caroline](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekardemomme/pseuds/thekardemomme) for betaing this, and thank you to [Wyo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyoheartsmusic/pseuds/wyoheartsmusic) for whom without this fic would have never gotten a plot lmao. Love you both tons and tons <33
> 
> This fic is, of course, based on [Given It All](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpSH0t0AWsM) by lesbian jesus, a.k.a. Hayley Kiyoko. I listened to this song on repeat for _hours_ while writing this. Y'all should give it a listen while you read too!
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!!

“I don’t know if this is a good idea, Eva,” Noora sighed, stopping at the foot of the stairs that led up to the front of the beach house that Eva’s aunt had lent them for the weekend.

Eva, who was already halfway up the stairs, paused and spun around to fix her gaze on Noora. A small frown was tugging Noora’s lips down, and almost immediately Eva mimicked the expression, furrowing her brows. She left her suitcase on the step and marched down the few she’d already climbed so she was standing next to Noora again.

She smiled wistfully at Noora, tilting her head to the side as she observed the other girl, who looked far too lost in thought.

“Noora, come on. This weekend is going to be great,” Eva reassured. She reached out and placed her hand against Noora’s arm, finally snapping her back to reality.

The frown was still there as Noora focused on Eva. “I should really call William— he’s going to wonder where I am,” she worried, starting to reach towards her pocket for her phone.

Eva quickly intercepted, however, grabbing Noora’s hand and tangling their fingers together— giving her hand a small squeeze. She pointedly ignored the way her heart leapt in her chest at the contact and the way Noora squeezed back, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. 

“He doesn’t need to know where you are every minute of every day. I’m sure he can survive two days without you,” Eva responded, swallowing down the contempt that wanted to slip into her words. Her eyes flickered down to the ring of dark purple bruises around Noora’s wrists, and she had to bite back a rude comment about the asshole— she didn’t want to bring it up and start this trip off with yet  _ another  _ argument about William and the way he treated Noora. Instead, Eva’s lips spread into a toothy smile, and she started pulling on Noora’s hand, urging her to keep moving forward.

Noora obliged, hesitance showing across her features for a brief moment before she finally gave in, her own smile gracing her lips as she followed Eva up the stairs.

When Eva fit the key into the lock and pushed the front door open she couldn’t help the small gasp that left her lips at the sight before her. 

The room was large, its open plan layout making it seem that much more spacious. The walls were white and wood, with tongue-and-groove ceilings where a few lazily spinning palm-leaf shaped fans were suspended. The entire back wall was made of long glass panes, two doors in the center that lead out back. To the left was the kitchen— complete with all the necessary appliances, a breakfast nook, and two bar stools next to the kitchen island— and to the right sat a long turquoise sofa and two stuffed armchairs, surrounding a wicker coffee table. 

A few paces from one of the armchairs was an archway, presumably containing a short hallway leading to the bedroom. Eva tugged on Noora’s hand and pulled her and her suitcase along towards it.

Upon entering the bedroom, they were met with another beautiful space. There was a cozy looking bed in the middle of the wall on the right, two wicker nightstands flanking it, and a turquoise wardrobe taking up most of the space on the wall adjacent to the bed. Across from the bed, similar to the main room, the entire wall was made up of glass windows, a set of double doors that led to the beach below in the center.

Eva dropped Noora’s hand so she could set her suitcase down on the small bench that sat at the foot of the bed. Then she faced Noora, a bright grin on her face as she stretched her arms out and spun in a circle in the middle of the room. 

“Isn’t it gorgeous?” She gushed before waltzing towards the doors, shifting aside the gauzy cream curtains so she could push them wide open, the smell of salt, sand, and seaweed filing the room. 

Eva took a few steps outside, basking in the ocean breeze that whisked gently through her hair.

Noora was still standing in the doorway, both hands on the handle of her suitcase as she watched Eva, that small, shy smile playing on her lips again.

“We should go check out the beach,” Eva suggested, walking back into the room, leaving the doors open behind her. She bent down so she could roll up the bottom of her jeans and then kicked off her sandals before turning back towards Noora and holding out her hand. 

Letting go of the suitcase, Noora took Eva’s hand and the two of them made their way out towards the beach.

 

The sea had a distinct smell, one that had stuck with Eva since the very first time she’d ever smelled it. It was seaweed, and a little bit of salt— the kind that stuck in your hair and tangled it if you were to take a dip in it— as well as a hint of debris, leftover from a passerby or possibly even seafarers. If she tried hard enough, she could even smell the soft, lingering aroma of burning cigarettes— the smoker may have been long gone, but the still-burning cigarette lingered, buried somewhere below the sand. It was the sort of smell that stayed with a person all their life, even if they hadn’t smelled it for years. 

And years it had been. The last time Eva remembered being at the beach was when she was a child and her mother and father were still together— the trip a last ditch effort at trying to save their marriage from crumbling, as it unforeseeably would. Eva still had nothing but good memories from the trip. She’d gone to the beach nearly everyday, splashing through the water and playing in the sand. Eva had built so many sandcastles she had been convinced she’s one day become a world renowned architect and she’d collected so many seashells she could have opened her own museum.

The entire vacation felt like she’d been living in a bubble— an alternate universe, if you will. Her parents had smiled at each other and actually exchanged words in a normal tone of voice, no profanities or insults being hurled back and forth. At one point Eva’s father had even joined her in the sand and had helped bury her lower half and sculpt the sand to look like a mermaid tail. The getaway had filled Eva with hope that her parents might have been able to fix things between them— that they might have been able to be a family again. 

Unfortunately, that hadn’t been the case; however, the fact that her parents couldn’t figure things out didn’t stop Eva from connecting the beach with happiness— which was exactly why she chose to bring Noora here.

It was no secret that Noora’s relationship with William was deteriorating faster than a bar of soap. While Eva had never really liked William, in the beginning she tried to push that dislike to the back of her mind, tried to accept him since he seemed to be making Noora so happy. But the longer they were together the worse off things got. Whenever Noora and William were together now Noora’s smiles were fake, forced even, and Eva saw the fear in her eyes when William got close. It was hard to miss the bruises that started showing up on Noora’s body. Eva had only seen the ones on her wrists, from the way William held onto her like he owned her, but she knew that there were more, hidden away in places she couldn’t see. 

Every time Eva, or any of their friends for that matter, tried to bring it up Noora would start to close up, her sentences becoming shorter, words coming out clipped and curt. She absolutely refused to hear any ill spoken about William, and the conversations always ended in an argument. 

Bringing Noora to the beach was Eva’s way of stealing Noora away from William— of protecting her— but she couldn’t deny the selfish ulterior motives she had. It pained Eva so much to see Noora so adamant on staying with William, despite everything he put her through, despite the way he spoke to her and treated her. Eva hoped that by bringing her here, by taking her away from him for a few days and treating her how she deserved to be treated, Noora would finally  _ see _ . See that William was no good. See that Eva was right there, had always been right there, and will  _ always _ be right there. She would give it all for Noora. 

 

They ended up spending most of the day at the beach, aimlessly wandering around, talking about anything and nothing at all, and laughing together. Eva was doing everything in her power to take Noora’s mind off of William— she could see the way Noora kept glancing towards her pocket, the urge to check her phone for messages from William still strong. Though with every passing minute, Eva sensed the way Noora slowly started to relax, her smile growing brighter and more genuine, the fear and hesitancy leaving her eyes. 

By the time they stumbled back to the beach house it seemed as though William was the furthest thing from Noora’s mind. 

“I’m so starved,” Noora exclaimed, hanging onto Eva’s arm as they climbed back up the stairs and reentered the house. “Who knew spending all day at the beach could make a person so hungry,” she laughed. The sound filled Eva with warmth, and she couldn’t stop the huge grin from overtaking her entire face. 

Noora toed off her shoes by the front door, pushing at them until they were straight against the wall, and then made a beeline for the kitchen. Eva kicked off her sandals as well and followed her. 

“So, what kinds of foods do you have here?” Noora asked, shuffling over to the fridge and opening the door so she could scan through its contents. A second later she was reaching inside and pulling out a head of broccoli and a package of chicken breasts. 

“Woah, woah, woah, hold on there,” Eva interjected, holding her hands up before she navigated her way around the island so she could go pull the ingredients from Noora’s hands. “You’re not doing anything with these,” she scolded, setting them down on the counter before placing both her hands on Noora’s shoulders. She gently maneuvered her towards the bar stools and pushed her into one. 

Noora lifted a thin blonde brow at Eva, her mouth dropping open in a faux surprised expression as Eva walked back to the counter and picked up the package of chicken, giving it a weird look before she tried to open it. “Eva Mohn! Are you trying to  _ cook _ ?” Noora questioned, her tone teasing and playful. 

Eva’s cheeks flushed a rosy hue and she shot Noora a pointed look. “I know how to cook, thank you very much! I don’t know why this is such a surprise, Noora,” she responded haughtily, trying to sound more confident than she actually was. 

As Eva prepared the meal— a bit shakily, and with many, many glances at the recipe— the two girls chattered away. More often than not Noora would tease Eva about her cooking skills, always good naturedly with a smile on her face and a new cooking tip to make up for it. Eva didn't mind though. She would take digs at her cooking abilities any day if it meant she got to see Noora this genuinely happy again. 

When the food was finally ready, Eva dished out two platefuls and poured two glasses of wine before she joined Noora at the island. 

“Chicken and broccoli pasta, a la me. Bon appetit,” Eva declared, passing Noora a fork so they could dig in. 

Noora and Eva both scoop up a forkful, but Eva hesitates, the fork halfway up to her lips. “Wait. You tell me how it is first. I need to know your verdict before so try it,” Eva said, turning towards Noora.

Noora let out a laugh, her nose scrunching up adorably. “I have to try it alone?” She questioned. “Oh my god, this isn't poisoned is it?”

“Hey! You watched me cook it!” Eva replied, nudging Noora with her shoulder. “C’mon, take a bite. How does it taste?” 

“Alright, alright. But if this kills me…” She trailed off, flashing Eva a warning look. 

“I would never kill you.”  _ I love you _ . The words were there, right on Eva’s tongue, ready to slip out, but Eva bit them back and swallowed them down. Not yet. There would be plenty of time for that later. 

Finally, Noora lifted her fork to her lips and took the first bite. She chewed contemplatively for a moment before a grin broke out across her face. “ _ Oh my god _ ,  _ Eva _ . This is amazing,” she gushed, quickly taking another forkful. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised. It must have been my tips,” Noora joked. 

Eva rolled her eyes fondly and dug into her own plate. She was incredibly pleased with how the dish had turned out. Noora was right— it was pretty damn amazing, and  _ she’d _ made it. For Noora, too. 

 

After they went back for seconds and had finally finished off everything on their plates, the two girls took their dishes to the sink. They cleaned them side by side— Eva washing and Noora drying— and once they were stowed away in the dishwasher, they retired to the bedroom.

There, they took turns showering and brushing their teeth, and once they were both comfortably in their pajamas, they slipped under the covers. Eva burrowed under the duvet and rested her head on her arm. She and Noora were facing each other, and Eva couldn’t keep the content smile off of her face.

“Eva?” Noora whispered.

“Hmm?” Eva hummed in response. 

The room was dark, but the gauzy curtains didn’t do much to stop the moonlight from streaming into the room, shining beautifully across Noora’s face. She had her own smile curving at her lips, and she reached a hand out to cover Eva’s. Slowly, Eva turned her hand so her palm met Noora’s, and Noora intertwined their fingers. 

“Thank you for bringing me here,” Noora said softly.

“Of course, Noora. I’d do anything for you.”

 

After a pleasant breakfast of eggs and toast the next morning, Eva and Noora found themselves back at the beach. They started out at the part of the beach that was right outside of their house and Eva suggested they build sandcastles like she used to as a child.

Noora had wholeheartedly agreed and the two had plopped down in the sand and started to build.

Eventually, their sandcastle building turned into them just messing around in the sand. They had a short sand ball fight— where Eva tried to build a wall out of sand to hide behind so Noora couldn’t get her, but it failed spectacularly and she continued to get pelted by sand. At one point, Eva ended up tackling Noora to the ground, knocking the floppy sun hat right off of her head. Noora let out a squeal as she went down, gripping onto Eva’s arms and taking her with. They rolled around in the sand for a little bit, laughing and squealing before they got too tired and decided to call a truce.

Eva sat on top of Noora for a moment longer as she tried to catch her breath, her eyes never leaving Noora’s face. She looked so beautiful like this— a genuine smile on her face, full bodied laughter spilling from her lips, the smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks more prominent because of the bleak sunlight. It was almost as though William had been erased from her thoughts, all worries and concerns about him completely gone. She looked so happy, so  _ free _ , that Eva would have loved nothing more than to lean down and kiss her, right here, right now.

Instead, Eva rolled off of Noora and landed on her back in the sand beside her. They exchanged a glance and erupted into another round of giggles. “I have sand all over now,” Eva pouted, sitting up only to have a clump of sand fall from the front of her shirt. 

Noora snorted and sat up as well, moving to brush the sand off of her clothes and out of her hair. She glanced over at Eva and let out a laugh when she saw Eva standing now, bent over and shaking out her hair.

“Here,” she started, standing up as well and moving to Eva’s side. “Let me help you, sit down,” Noora instructed, pushing gently down on Eva’s shoulders. 

Eva did as she was told and sat back down into the sand. Behind her, Noora settled herself on her knees and began to card her fingers through Eva’s hair. Almost instantly, Eva’s eyes fluttered closed and she leaned back into the touch. Noora’s fingers felt so nice in her hair, gently brushing through it, shaking the strands out to release the sand hidden away in it.

“You’ve got so much hair, mermaid girl,” Noora laughed softly, beginning to bunch Eva’s hair close to her scalp. Then she divided her hair into three sections and began to braid it straight down her back. 

A soft smile slipped onto Eva’s face and she started to drag her fingers through the sand in front of her. Slowly, she drew ‘E+N’ and then traced the shape of a heart around it. Eva admired it for a moment, smiling down at it almost dopily. But then she brushed her palm across it, pushing more sand to cover it up. 

“Do you want to go get some ice cream?” Eva asked, thinking back to the cute little ice cream stand her parents would always take her to.

“Sure, ice cream sounds wonderful,” Noora agreed, picking up her hat from where it was still covered in sand on the ground. 

The ice cream stand was a short ways away from their beach house, but they walked there anyways, and Eva recounted a tale involving her dad, a birthday cake flavored ice cream cone, and a seagull to pass the time.

Eva, ever the gentlewoman, paid for both of their cones and they ate them on the way back to the beach. Several times Eva had to hold herself back from kissing the drips of ice cream off of the corners of Noora’s lips. 

They ended up finding a secluded group of rocks, and the two of them climbed over them until they found a nice place to sit and enjoy their ice cream. Neither one said anything as they licked at their cones, both too caught up in their thoughts. 

Above them the seagulls cried as they circled through the air, and the salty ocean breeze blew through their hair.

It wasn’t until they both had finally finished off their ice creams that the silence was broken.

“Eva, why did you really bring me here this weekend?” Noora suddenly asked. The question was firm, like she was warning Eva against trying to bullshit an answer, but it wasn't accusatory. 

Eva stared out at the ocean a little bit longer, watching the waves methodically crash against the sharp edges of the rock below. When she finally opened her mouth to answer, she lifted her gaze to Noora. She was already looking back.

“I…” Eva started, though she was unsure of how exactly she wanted to phrase this. “I’m so sick and tired of watching you suffer because of William.”

Beside her, Noora tensed. That very same frown from when they arrived here was back, this time much deeper though.

“I know you don't like talking about this, but it’s really important to me, Noora.  _ You’re _ really important to me, and I can see what he’s doing to you. I can see how he’s treating you and I can see how you're hurting. He doesn't deserve you Noora— you’re so much better than he ever could be.” Eva dragged her finger over the patch of moss growing on the rock next to her. 

“I never understood what you saw in him. You always talk about being strong and independent, yet you sit here and let him treat you like you're not a person, like you’re a piece of property he  _ owns _ .” Eva shook her head, a disgusted look passing over her face.

When Eva’s eyes found Noora’s face again, her heart broke to see silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Noora sniffled and quickly tried to wipe at her face, but it was no use when she just continued to cry, her sobs wracking through her body even harder now. 

“I just… I’m so scared, Eva,” Noora cried, burying her face into her hands. 

Eva shuffled closer to Noora and wrapped her arm around Noora’s shoulders, pulling her close against her body. Immediately Noora curled into Eva’s embrace.

“I love him— or I did. I used to. Before he… before he started to hurt me. He just got so… so stressed with work and his family 

Now… I'm just so scared, Eva. I can't leave him, I  _ can't.  _ I'm so scared of what he’ll try to do,” Noora sobbed.

Eva pulled Noora closer and held her tighter, hoping that Noora felt safe here, in Eva’s arms. “He can't hurt you anymore, Noora. I won't let him,” Eva said with such conviction that Noora lifted her head up to look at Eva. “You deserve so much more than him Noora,” She continued, bringing her palm to rest against Noora’s cheek. She brushed her thumb beneath Noora’s eye, catching a few tears and wiping them away. “You deserve someone who’ll respect you, someone who doesn’t hurt you, someone who  _ loves you _ . You… you deserve me.”

Noora didn't say anything back, just stared at Eva with big eyes, that for the first time in along time, weren't filled with fear. Instead, there was hope shimmering there. It was exactly the push Eva needed. 

“Noora Amalie Sætre, I’m in love with you,” Eva declared, laughing softly as she smiled at Noora. “I’m so in love with you, and it kills me everyday to see you with that asshole when I know,  _ I know _ , I would treat you so much better than he ever could.”

And for the first time since they’d sat down on these rocks, a smile cracked at Noora’s lips. It was small, but it was still there. Amongst her red eyes and tear streaked cheeks, like the sun peeking through the clouds on a cold, rainy day— her smile. 

It probably wasn't the right moment for this, but Eva couldn't help but start to lean in. Her eyes fluttered shut, but not before she saw Noora’s chin tip up, her own head tilting closer. It made Eva’s heart skip a beat and she cupped Noora’s chin with her other hand.

Their lips were only centimeters apart when the shrill sound of a phone ringing cut through the air, shattering the moment completely. 

Eva pulled back out of Noora’s space, and Noora scrambled to pull her phone from her pocket. When she finally freed it, she and Eva both glanced at the screen. Eva felt her stomach drop as she read the name, and she knew Noora must have felt about ten times worse when she saw it. 

William.

Noora’s eyes flew towards Eva, panic flashing behind them. “What do I do?” She questioned, her voice full of worry. 

“I think this is it,” Eva nodded, giving Noora an encouraging smile. She reached out and took Noora’s hand in her own, lacing their fingers and giving it a comforting squeeze. “I'm here. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere,” She reassured. “You can do this.” 

Noora nodded, sending Eva a hesitant smile that faded just as quickly as it appeared. She glanced back down at her phone, and with shaky fingers, hit “accept call” before holding the phone up to her ear.

“William… halla,” Noora started shakily. She gave Eva’s hand another squeeze before she let it go and rose to her feet. Noora lifted the floppy black sun hat from her head and placed it atop Eva’s before she started to climb down the rocks, presumably to find a little privacy for the heavy phone call she was about to have.

When Noora returned to the rock ten long minutes later there were fresh tear tracks down her cheeks, but a large smile was spread across her lips. “I did it,” she murmured. “I broke up with William.”

  
  


“I’m so proud of you, Noora,” Eva whispered later that evening as she leaned her head onto Noora’s shoulder, nuzzling her nose into Noora’s neck. 

She could feel the vibrations as Noora chuckled. “So you’ve said,” she responded, swinging her and Eva’s interlocked hands between them a little bit.

In the distance, the sun was sinking below the horizon, painting the sky with pinkish orange streaks and casting a gorgeous reflection across the calm sea below. Eva and Noora were walking along the shoreline, their jeans rolled up and hair whipping in the salty wind. The smell of the sea breeze filled their noses and Eva let out a happy sigh.

“Thank you, Eva,” Noora said softly. “I’m really glad you brought me here this weekend.”

A happy smile stretched across Eva’s face and a warm feeling spread through her stomach. She suddenly stopped walking, catching Noora off guard for a second. “Can I kiss you now?” Eva asked breathlessly.

Rather than giving an answer, Noora just grinned before she cupped her hands on either side of Eva’s chin and pulled her in for a kiss. 

It was soft and sweet and warm and gentle, and it was everything Eva could have hoped for.

When they finally parted, the smiles on their faces were so wide, and as Eva stared into the blue of Noora’s eyes, she couldn’t help but think of how given it all, she’d do every single thing again if it meant she got this. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think with a kudos or a comment!! <3
> 
>  
> 
> Come say [hi](http://evensdramaticshenanigans.tumblr.com/)! :)


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